Only 2 People Inside Pelosi Home When Paul Pelosi Attacked: Authorities

Only 2 People Inside Pelosi Home When Paul Pelosi Attacked: Authorities
Paul Pelosi and Nancy Pelosi attend the TIME 100 Gala 2019 Cocktails at Jazz at Lincoln Center in New York City on April 23, 2019. (Jemal Countess/Getty Images for TIME)
Zachary Stieber
10/31/2022
Updated:
10/31/2022
0:00

There was no third person inside the Pelosi residence when Paul Pelosi was attacked in the early morning hours of Oct. 28, authorities are now saying.

“We want to make it clear, there were only two people in the home at the time the police arrived—Mr. Pelosi and the suspect,” interim San Francisco District Attorney Brooke Jenkins told CBS News on Sunday. “There was no third person present.”

During a press conference on Friday, San Francisco Police Chief William Scott said that officers arrived at the residence after receiving a 911 call from Paul Pelosi, 82.

“When the officers arrived and knocked on the front door of the residence, the door was opened by someone inside,” he said.

The officers observed Paul Pelosi and the suspect, identified as 42-year-old David DePape, grappling over a hammer, he added.

“We do not have any information to believe that there was a third person present during the incident. At this time we are not specifying who opened the door to the residence when police officers arrived on scene,” a San Francisco Police Department spokeswoman told The Epoch Times in an email.

In an FBI affidavit released Monday, Paul Pelosi was described as being the person who opened the door.

NBC News and other outlets had reported over the weekend that a third person was present inside the home when officers arrived.

A spokesperson for U.S. House Speaker Nancy Pelosi (D-Calif.), Paul Pelosi’s wife, did not respond to emailed questions, including whether any private security was present at the time of the attack.

Nancy Pelosi was in Washington with her protective detail when the attack occurred, according to the U.S. Capitol Police.

San Francisco police officers and FBI agents outside the Pelosi residence in San Francisco, Calif., on Oct. 28, 2022. (Justin Sullivan/Getty Images)
San Francisco police officers and FBI agents outside the Pelosi residence in San Francisco, Calif., on Oct. 28, 2022. (Justin Sullivan/Getty Images)

Jenkins, a Democrat who became district attorney after Chesa Boudin was recalled, also said that reports the suspect was looking for Nancy Pelosi were true.

“He was, in fact, looking for Ms. Pelosi,” she said.

According to dispatch audio, Paul Pelosi described DePape as “a friend” during the 911 call. The audio of the call has not been made public.

“We have nothing to suggest that the two men knew each other prior to this incident,” Jenkins told the San Francisco Chronicle.

DePape struck Paul Pelosi at least once with the hammer, prompting officers to tackle the suspect, according to the police. Both DePape and Paul Pelosi were rushed to a hospital.

Paul Pelosi later underwent surgery and was expected to recover, Pelosi’s spokesperson said.

DePape was still in a secure ward at the San Francisco General Hospital on Sunday, Jenkins told the Chronicle.

Jenkins has said she plans to file charges against DePape on Monday, including attempted homicide and elder abuse. DePape would then be arraigned on Tuesday. Jenkins said prosecutors will likely ask a judge not to grant DePape bail.

Editor’s Note: This story has been updated with information from a federal affidavit made public on Oct. 31.